“And after he (Jesus) had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone” Matt 14:23
I think one-on-one time with the LORD is important. Classes given by others, and bible readings and prayers as a group are a fantastic way to look at God and learn something about Him that we may have never thought of before. But time alone with Him, it’s just as important, maybe even more so. Because salvation is personal. You must focus on your walk and your commitment and your own relationship with God. Because no amount of knowledge by itself will get you into the Kingdom of God if it doesn’t change you.
Personal time with God, when done correctly I think, will help build that singular relationship with our Father. We need to be able to see Him working in our lives for good, and how can we do that if we are not reflecting, not learning about who He is and what He is capable of?
David made time for God, even amidst the busy life of a King. Psalms 5:3 says “O LORD, in the morning You hear my voice; in the morning I direct my prayer to You and watch.” He chose the beginning of the day to sit and pray to God, and tried to do so every day.
And so did Christ, our perfect example. In Mark 1:35 it says “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he (Jesus) departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.”
Christ took time to talk with his Father. During his busy ministry, he may have not found time alone to truly sit and talk with God, so he woke up early to make time for God.
My point here is not that we must make time for God in the morning (though there is a case to be made for starting your day with God), but simply that we need to make time for Him in the busy schedules of our lives.
A friend told me that we need to liken our time with God to a meeting with our boss at work. We would do everything in our power – waking up and leaving the house early, making sure nothing else is scheduled during that time – to make it to that meeting on time. And when we get to that meeting, we have brought with us our best – our best behavior, best attitude, and best work ethic.
This is a simple meeting with our worldly authorities. How much more then, should we be bringing to our time with God?
I want to prioritize the time that I take to learn more about God and what He is doing in my life to shape me in His image and likeness. But what are some ways that we should use our time with God, whenever that is? And how often should our time with God be “scheduled” during the week? Every day? Twice a week? Once? How much time should be in each “appointment”?
I don’t think the answer will be the same for everyone. I think you could make the argument for every day. But is 10 minutes of hurried thanks or praise better than the hour that someone could give once a week? Or is noticing and appreciating the things God does for us 5 minutes every day better than the hour and a half that we could devote to personal Bible study every Saturday morning?
I don’t know. And I don’t think there is necessarily a right or wrong answer.
I’m going to sit down this weekend and take a look at my schedule for the week and mark in some “appointments” with God. I think I’m going to try in the mornings before I have to leave for school. And because my classes start at different times, I’m going to make the “appointments” different lengths and see how that works this upcoming week. Maybe in two weeks, I’ll change it up.
I did brainstorm a list of things that I think I could use in my time with God in the next week. Some of them will require more time and some will require less, and some I might not find helpful to me, but hopefully, this list will help you brainstorm your own ideas of what you want to spend your time with God doing.
• Prayer
• Journaling
• Scripture writing
• Expounding on the week’s Characteristic of God
• Listening to a Book of the Bible while crafting, taking notes, etc.
• Personal study
• Maybe reading an exposition book
I didn’t add Daily Bible Readings here, because, LORD willing, I will be doing this on top of already doing my daily readings. But that is a wonderful way to spend your quiet time with God!
What else can you think of besides these that you would like to start doing in your time with God?
In the Hope of Israel,
Mikaelah B
"For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness." Psalms 84:10
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